“Data can’t say anything about an issue any more than a hammer can build a house or almond meal can make a macaron. Data is a necessary ingredient in discovery, but you need a human to select it, shape it, and then turn it into an insight.”
Without a strong data culture, even good data can be misused. Assessment leaders must help administrators, teachers, students, and families use data effectively by adopting inquiry, embracing equity, and fostering partnerships for improvement and fairness in learning.
We help build the capacity of assessment leaders and educators to partner with students and families to select, interpret, and use data for learning, improvement, and equity.
7 Recommendations for Using Education Data to Support Equitable Learning Outcomes
Data from large-scale state assessments alone can’t give a full picture of learning and aren’t always useful for local improvements. This brief helps educators, administrators, policymakers, and others use a broader range of data to better support fair learning outcomes
Data Leadership: The Role of Summative Data in a Data Use Culture
The Data Leadership Training Series, developed by WestEd with the California Department of Education to use CAASSP data for system improvement, is equipping administrators with skills to foster a positive data culture based on leadership, equity, and transparency. The training features four modules and includes presentations from California districts.
Minnesota Data and Assessment Literacy (MnDAL)
WestEd developed the Minnesota Data and Assessment Literacy (MnDAL) course to transform teaching and learning.
“Our partnership with WestEd provided multiple opportunities for authentic and pragmatic growth. The professional development we received was outstanding. The decision to partner with WestEd was an invaluable experience.”
— Dr. Rachel Kluth, Executive Director of Operations, Brockport Central School District, New York
*Jones-Rooy, A. (2019, July 24). The uncertainty specialist. Connecticut College Magazine. https://www.conncoll.edu/news/cc-magazine/past-issues/2019-issues/fall-2019/the-uncertainty-specialist/